Colosseum
by DiRTy-LaRrY
Summary: A young boy with a demon inside his soul appears in the Hyrule Colosseum, slaughtering the arena champions as they challenge him to mortal combat. Why has he arrived? A young Princess delves to discover the truth of the broken boy and his family.
1. Fight for Life

**Well, this is my first Zelda fanfic, and I must say, I've been told that it was very dark. That's what my mother said. Well, stuff mother, I like it! R&R please!

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**Colosseum

Chapter 1-Fight for Life

The Princess watched the proceedings with sheer horror. The Colosseum, apparently, was Hyrule's favourite centre of entertainment, where mortal combat, chariot races that included arrow shooting and javelin throwing while in the midst of one and executions were just some of the acts that occurred inside the large, rounded stone arena. Most Hylians seemed to enjoy it, but the young Princess found it horrifying.

She was seated at the front seat of the Royal Platform that had the best view of the "performances" (or butcheries in the Princess' opinion) that occurred in the Colosseum every day. Her father had only decided to take her on the advice of one of his advisors. The one she hated the most.

_Agahnim…what a stupid name!_

The next event was approaching. More butchery of people would ensue, she decided, but nevertheless paid attention to what was happening, just out of courtesy of her father. The people began to shout, cheer, whistle. Some girls were screaming their names out to the man approaching, others holding their hankies out with their names scrawled hastily on it. They were hoping to go out with such a disgraceful man? A man who killed for a living?

_Disgusting…what has Hyrule been reduced to?_

The crowd seemed to have gone quiet. The Princess looked up at the other end of the stadium, to see who was coming out. That person was…short…awfully short for a Colosseum fighter, she decided. As the person fully emerged into the light, no one said anything. They just kept quiet. They looked away. People shifted uncomfortably in their seats, watching the emotionless fighter walk slowly out of the preparation rooms.

The Princess caught her breath as she watched the fighter walk toward the platform for customary blessing of the fights participants by a Royal Family member. The fighter looked young, no more than ten or eleven years old. His long blonde hair whipped freely against a fresh sea breeze that was blowing steadily through he Colosseum. His blue eyes were laden with deep sorrow, and intense hatred, a burning desire for revenge. As he sank to one knee, bowing in front of the platform, she watched him inspect the dust, the dirt, the grit of the arena. As her gaze shifted to his back, she saw countless scars, whiplash marks and burns littered across a tanned, sun-burned back.

_What a poor way to spend a childhood…_

Quietly gasping, inwardly crying out empathically as she realised just how much pain this boy had gone through, she stood up. She thought about the fighters in front of her. One was called Barthelow, a long name for a champion of the Colosseum countless times over. The other person…she'd been too busy seeing what his appearance was, to have heard his name. Then she realised that everyone was waiting for HER to do the blessing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, children and elders. I do not enjoy the Colosseum, nor the events it hosts. However, I feel obligated to bless these two participants in their competition of mortal combat. They will risk their lives, and most probably lose them, to provide you with suitable entertainment. And for that, I believe that they should be blessed for their service to the country. Thus…" Using hand signals, she urged Barthelow to come forward.

"May I present, Barthelow, Arena Champion of the Colosseum thrice over." She said in a firm voice, loud enough for the audience to hear. They burst into applause and cheering, and the big man waved back, posing and smiling. After placing a ring of flowers on the man's head she turned to the boy, about to give him a blessing as well, when she noticed he'd stood up, and walked off, waiting for the fight to start.

"Excuse me? Umm…Gladiator?" She asked, feeling slightly embarrassed. "You're…you're supposed to be blessed before you go to battle. Please, come forward to the platform here, and I will present you with your blessing."

"I'd rather not be blessed by a daughter of the family that ruined my life." He murmured quietly. He'd turned away, yet the young Princess could hear the anger, the hate, that burning desire for revenge that consumed the boy's whole life. Slowly his hand went to the sword that hung, sheathed, on his back.

"My dreams are haunted with the slaughter of your whole family, little girl. I suggest you don't come too near me, lest I kill you first." The boy said. The Princess looked at the blue-eyed boy in fear, realising that her family was the source of the boy's hatred, and that somehow, he had turned out like this because of them. And worst of all, he wanted to kill her whole family.

"Old man," the boy said to Barthelow, "you have your blessing. Come."

"Will you surrender?" Barthelow joked, as he stepped down from the platform. "A child like you has no chance against me, and with the Princess' blessing, I know I will win. Should you choose not to surrender, you know the deal. Death. Torture. Crippling. That kinda stuff." The man said with a smirk. The boy turned. His eyes had changed from blue to red. A malicious fire burned within him.

"Ask yourself the same question. The demon within me wishes to kill you, and I will only suppress him if you surrender." The boy said, his voice saturated with hatred and malevolence. When the man made no answer, the boy smiled wickedly. "So be it. I will kill you."

* * *

"So be it. I will kill you." Link said, allowing the power of the devil in him to flow through him. He remembered cursing the wicked thing that inhabited his body, until he'd managed to control it. Then it became his most powerful weapon. Slowly, red swirls of energy coursed throughout his youthful body, and sparks flew from the ground as it erupted in an explosion of fire and earth. What emerged from it was Link…well…generally speaking. 

Link's hair was now dark black, and his skin glowed with a maroon colour possessed by only the strongest demons. Horns grew from the side of his head, and his eyes crackled a deep red, revealing his thirst for bloodlust. Barthelow stood back in awe, as he watched the demon run towards him, drawing it's blade in the process. He raised his own blade, but too late-

WHUMP! SCHNICK! 

Barthelow was knocked forward by Link, who, in a blinding second, chopped the man's head off. The expression of shock remained on his face as his head sailed through the air and landed on the floor. Link was back to normal, blonde hair flying again in the sea breeze, hands clutching his sword. But blood covered his tunic and his face, and the blade, and his boots…and the blood of Barthelow dripped down from his hands. The headless body spewed blood from the neck of the fallen man, and it dripped down the boy, down the dead body. The boy looked down in disgust at the fallen champion, thought how weak he was, then began to walk off.

He smiled as he realised how much money he'd earned. It would let him and Mother and Saria live in a better home, and have more food to eat for a while. He looked at his hands, and the red skinned claws that appeared in place of them suddenly.

_Oh, shut up. I'm not in the mood._

_Why?_ His inner demon pondered. _Is it because you unleashed me, that you forgot the effects…or is it the princess? My my, she's quite the looker…_

_Whatever._ He responded as he walked through the gate.

* * *

The Princess watched the boy walk out of the Colosseum. He looked quite unperturbed by what he'd just done. He looked like he'd dropped some rupees, stopped to pick them up, slightly annoyed, then continued on his way. Well, with blood, maybe. Everyone was still silent, and watched as they took Barthelow's body out of the Arena. 

She shook her head, trying to get the bloody scene out of her head. Rising, she said, "The winner of this bout is…" Turning to her father, she quickly asked for the boy's name. She straightened out her long, pink dress. Her long, golden hair flowed out behind her pink and gold tiara. As her slim, attractive figure stood up, most of the men gawked at her.

"The winner of the match, is Link Kokiri."

**Well? Gory? Unpleasant? Hate me yet? I don't care. I will if you review it though...so R&R! PLEASE! DO IT FOR THE MILK (random...)!**


	2. Digging Up the Past

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**Oops...Divider troubles...Well, Colosseum is currently the story grabbign my attention, however, I will return to Watch Where You're Going soon enough. I have a mind to cross Gundam Seed Destiny soon with Zelda, but I don't know if that will come out or not. Anyways...please anjo  
**

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Chapter 2-Digging up the past 

_4 years ago…_

The boy and girl looked up from their quiet repose in the castle gardens. The girl was only 7 or 8, the same going for the boy. The boy had a mop of golden hair, slightly dirty and disheveled from the daily chores that the boy attended to. His light blue eyes reflected the innocence of his youth and the responsibilities of being young. The girl's hair was a flowing gold color, long, and flowing out from behind the pink and white tiara that she was wearing. Violet eyes framed by long eyelashes blinked in a flutteringly ladylike manner, betraying the girl's position as someone of status. The two of them lay on the grass, looking out at the sky and wondering what was beyond the castle walls.

"Hey, Guardsboy," the girl murmured, as they looked at the blue, cloudless sky, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" She looked at her friend, who lay beside her on the grass, sprawled out, blonde hair messily spread out along the green blades of the grass that had begun to stick into his hair. He sat up, the grass in his hair giving the impression that he was a forest dweller, a row of leaves strung on top of his head.

"Have you been to the Colosseum?" the boy asked. He'd been there a few times, and back then, it had been less gory, less gruesome. No fights to the death, fights stopped because of bad injuries, fewer deaths. He loved the atmosphere and excitement, as well as the skills of the fighters. "It's really cool! Awesome fights, free food, people cheering, all that...I wanna be one of those fighters. I wanna become a fighter, and I'll make sure everyone knows who I am, just like how everyone seems to know Dad! Maybe...if I'm famous enough, I could...marry you."

The girl looked at the now blushing boy, relishing the fact that she had such a person as a friend. She counted herself really lucky to have had such a good friend, but then realised what he'd quite jokingly implied. Blushing, she murmured, "I'm quite important arond here...my father says that when I'm older, I have to marry an aristocrat." She sighed, thinking of her father's words. "It really sucks though...and don't tell my Dad I said that word!"

The boy laughed, then sighed, realising his situation. He was just a boy, she was one of the upper-class girls, who would one day be a lady of status who would control huge amounts of land and businesses. How could he hope to marry someone like that?

"Speaking of which...we still don't know each other's name..." the girl said, grinning. Her father had said it was necessary for anyone to know who she really was. It put her life in danger, so she had called herself Princess to anyone who saw her as a nickname. She was cute enough to be one, most people had said. When they'd met, her friend was about to say who he was, when she said that since she couldn't tell him her name, he didn't have to tell her who he was. She'd given him a nickname-Guardsboy. It'd stuck, too. The two of them had seen each other every week, and she'd call him Guardsboy, while he called her Princess, never trying to find out or use their real names.

"Well, you're not going to tell me who you are anyway, Princess." The boy grinned, flopped back down, and looked at the sky. The girl however, turned away from him, and her back to him, began to whisper, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Actually, I intended to..." the girl murmured. 'Guardsboy' sat up and looked at her back, and the back of her head, the small pink dress she was wearing rustling slightly in the wind. She turned again, and dark-violet eyes met light blue ones. The two of them stared at each other, until the girl asked "Would you like to know my name?"

Waiting for no answer, she murmured, "My name is-" (put the rest of the eminem song in here...)

Suddenly, the entrance to the castle garden swung open, and the two children shifted their gaze, toward the oak doors. Three people stood there, talking to each other about seemingly political matters. Quickly crossing toward the children, they bade them stand, and prepare to part ways.

"Maybe another time." the girl said solemnly.

"Yeah. Goodbye, Princess..." the boy said sadly. He hated having to leave her, but...

"Goodbye, Guardsboy." the girl replied ruefully. They both shared mutual feelings over having to part ways. Little did they know that this would be their last meeting in the garden, as young, innocent children caught up in a beautiful friendship.

* * *

The Princess Zelda, heiress to the throne of Hyrule, woke up, reminiscing over ancient memories of her childhood friend, "Guardsboy". Her day at the Colosseum had tired her out, as had the necessity to continously maintain the image of a Princess for her country. It was like a second personality for herself-one that she absolutely hated. The Princess must walk this way, say this thing, eat like this, do this, marry this person when she is older-it was just too much! She absolutely hated it! 

Zelda smiled contentedly as she looked around her room, the simple furnishings and bright colours, as well as her collection of prized books and her working desk where she dealt with some of the letters that had been addressed to her. They ranged from genuine problems that required the attention of the Royal Family, such as bandit plunderings and thefts, to love-sick pedophiles asking her to meet them in shady bars and ill-reputed pubs. She answered most of the Royal Mail, because most people were too scared to write to her father. He'd become colder, and harsher toward his subjects, ever since her mother became ill...

Quietly, she took out another one of her books and began to read it. Poring over it carefully, she wondered why she couldn't read the words very well.

_Silly...It's night time! There's no light, so light a candle! Pfft..._

Annoyed, she instinctively grasped for her candle at the corner of her desk, and using magic, she lighted it. She began to read, fascinated by the eloquent placing of the words. They seemed to describe a journey...the journey of someone called...Link? He'd been called the Hero of Time...apparently he'd been a very strong warrior, and he'd...WHAT?

_He fell in love with the Princess Zelda of that time...wow..._

She turned the page, after reading how they had sealed Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, and was abruptly surprised by the fact that there was a blank page. No writing. Nothing. Totally blank, totally clean. She turned some more pages, only to find the same result. All clean. She sighed, giving up on trying to find more information about the Hero of Time from this book, when a scrawl on the inside of the back cover caught her eye. It read-Kokiri...

_Link Kokiri...he was the winner of a gladiator match yesterday. Maybe this book belongs to his family, and they were chronicling the adventures of the Hero of Time..._

She resolved to go and see them in the morning, and lay back down in her bed. When she awoke again sunlight shone through her window, through the thin, transparent curtains, warming her body as she lay on the soft covers of her bed. Deciding that she should go without giving away her identity, she slipped on a modest dress, and a tiara that covered her blonde hair. Wrapping a white muffler around her neck, she slipped out of the castle and walked toward the marketplace.

The roads were filled with snow, and most of them had been left disshevelled and glittering in a sea of white globules. It had made transport around the town quite difficult. Onlyroads leading to and from the castle had been cleared for the convenience of the Roayl Family. Quietly she slipped into the market, and suddenly realised how hard her task would be.

The whole place was filled with dancing, jovial, and rather crude forms of entertainment. Men were sitting at bars drinking, while the women were being chased around, may being violated by drunken and aroused males. The stupor of Hylians had grown so low...children begged on the streets, old beggars sat, motionless, too weak to even ask for food, or water. Women were being publicly raped by groups of men, and the screams rang in Zelda's ears.

"Well, hello cutie..." A group of men suddenly appeared behind Zelda. She swung around, and the man closest to her grabbed her wrist, leering at her. He was obviously drunk-he could see her face, and had no idea who she was! She tried to twist her wrist out of his grip, but, drunk or not, this man was strong, and she found herself completely at the mercy of the group of men. One of them put his hand on the muffler, and was in the process of removing it-

"Garreth. Release her." The voice was cold, indifferent to the violent happenings occurring around them. She twisted her head to look at the speaker, but he, or she, was hooded, as well as masked. The speaker carried a longsword across their back, and their hands were gloved with a swordsman's sword gauntlets.

"No! Why-why should I listen to-What business does she have with you?" Garreth exclaimed, clearly frightened by the speaker. Who was this person that ignited fear in the common peasants?

"I said release her." the mysterious person growled. "Or would you like a repeat of the last time we crossed blades? And for that matter, you fought dirty, sending your whole gang at me..." Reaching up for the hilt of a longsword, the person suddenly tensed, readying themself to attack. Almost at once, the men's hands shoved her toward the figure, who, unsurprised, caught her.

"Have her! If she means this much to you, she's a small price to pay, compared to your wrath!" And with that the men hurried off to find another woman to gang-rape. The person was still holding her, she realised. Standing up properly, she gave a curtsy to the man-it was a man, she decided.

"Please, Princess. Not here. My house is close by. We may discuss matters there, but the market is not a safe place. Especially for women such as yourself." the man murmured, before grabbing her hand and leading her away. Zelda's mind reeled with shock. How did he know she was a Princess? What 'matters' did he want to discuss?

_I shouldn't have come here..._she thought to herself. _I've only made things worse! For myself, for the Kokiris! I don't have a clue how to get around in this place!_

When they reached the house, she found it was quite contradictory to the scenes of chaos outside. It was a nice, well-kept house that seemed a litle old-fashioned, with a small garden at the front, and what appeared to be a cottage at the back. She followed the mystery man through the door, and was surprised by what she heard.

"Saria! How many times must I tell you to brush your teeth! If you don't do it, the BIG BAD MONSTERS will COME AND GET YOU!" A man's voice said, laughing. Zelda smiled, realising that his was the home of a small family. Her attention returned to the masked man, who'd taken off his mask...to reveal he was a she!

"Your highness." the woman gave a curt, military styled bow. "My name is Impa. I am the woman of this household." Her voice was deep, deep enough to pass for a man's if she wanted it to be. Her eyes were blood red, her hair was graying but she was still trim, and appeared athletic. Zelda sensed from her a hatred that had been rekindled by seeing Zelda, but why was something that eluded the young girl.

"Dear? The Princess is here." Impa called. Zelda heard a clattering sound, a man cursing loudly, followed by two squeaks, and the sound of wheels...

"Princess." An old, greying man inclined his head toward the young girl. She curtsied back, then noticed that the man was in a wheelchair. She looked at his legs, and in horror, noticed that they were warped, and deformed, twisted, like a rag doll that had been swung around and around a room by its legs.

"Your legs! What happened? It's so...so sad..." Zelda stopped herself from saying "horrible" because she thought it rude, and truth be told, it was sad. A father like him had been depriced of experiencing the full joys of being a Dad, because of his legs. A tear fell down her eye, and she hastily wiped it away.

"I see you feel sorry for me. I'm surprised. Your family put me in this state anyway." The man said harshly, bluntly...it resembled...that boy, Link Kokiri...But Zelda digested the other piece of information-her family had done this? She was one of the people who had done this to him? Feeling shamed, she turned her head away, and caught sight of mop of messy green hair.

"Hi! What's your name?" A small girl with green hair appeared in front of her, as though she'd materialised out of nowhere. She was maybe 5, or 6, and wore a small white dress. She smiled toothily, just like a toddler, and repeated her question. "What's your name?"

Zelda crouched down, ignoring Impa, who looked as if she was about to apologise for her daughter's behaviour. She smiled back at the little girl, then said quietly, "My name is Zelda. What's yours?"

"Saria." the girl said simply.

"Well, Saira..." Zelda murmured. She whispered something into Saria's ear. Saira shook her head, then the little girl's eyes widened, and she looked at Zelda.

"Really?" Saria whispered, shocked.

"Yeap. Really. It happened to me. Would you like me to describe it?" Zelda grinned at the girl, and watched as, with a childish yell of "No!" disappeared down to the bathroom. Impa looked, confused at Zelda, who smiled sweetly back.

"I figured you wanted to talk to me privately. I asked if she'd brushed her teeth, and told her that if she didn't they'd rot and dissolve, and be all gooey..." Zelda said, smiling. Impa seemed relieved, looked at her husband, then back at Zelda, a strange expression appearing on her face.

"You're not the same as the other Royals. At least, I don' think so. Forgive me for being so prejudiced. My name is Liace. Liace Kokiri." Zelda's head flew up, and she realised in an instant why these people resembled the fighter so much. they were his parents! And his grudge toward the Royal Family...was because of his father's legs?

"Mr. Kokiri." Zelda said, drawing out the book which she had hidden in a pocket of her dress. It's creased, slightly smudged cover bore no title, and it's unadorned spine was slightly marked and tatered. "Does this book beling to your family?"

Liace's eyes looked at the book, registered it's presence. He looked at the book, then at Zelda, then murmured, "Yes. This is a family heirloom. Doubtless you found it in your room. Your father would have put it there, and I think I understand why. Please, take a seat." The last comment was a command, she realised, not a request. She sat down on one of the chairs by the table, placing the book on the table, and the man wheeled himself toward the table. Facing her, he motioned for Impa to take a seat as well. The older woman sat down, studying the book, opening it up, and reading the first few pages. Then, she drew a dagger.

_What's she going to do?_

Zelda watched as Liace held up his hand and Impa slit his hand open. Almost immedately, more pages began to become readable, blood spreading across the pages to form words on every page of the book. Amazed, Zelda watched as the blood crept through the pages, seeping through the parchment, and finally stopped on the last page. Never before had she seen any kind of magic where substances acted like this.

_It must be unique magic of their bloodline...I wonder what it is?_

"The magic contained in this book is a Sheikah power that was placed upon it by the first Princess Zelda. It was given to the Hero of Time, my forefather, who passed it down through our family. We are destined to bear hardships and cruelties, and with no-one to help us, we must have the courage to do our duty alone. Our lot in life has not been pleasant. I will tell you the story now." Liase murmured. Zelda nodded, transfixed by his words, and prepared to listen to his unfolding tale.

"It started a few years ago..."

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**So we have the second chapter! What do you think? Please, MORE REVIEWS, only having two is killing me!**  



	3. WAHHH! THIS IS SO UNFAIR!

Well…uhh, I'm sorry to say this. But I'll either give a VERY slow update on this one, or I'll need some help. That is-a co-writer to help with finishing it…so yeah…I'd love to get back to it sometime, but I'm getting bogged down, and I need to finish my Gundam Seed Story first, plus I have another LOZ fic coming around…so sorry, my dear readers…so anyway-don't panic. Something may be posted soon…you never know…

If you want to contact me on this, just drop me a line. I'm always in. D


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